The Investigation Of People Using Air Movement Actively In Summer In Hot-humid Area Of China

Recently, thermal comfort researchers have paid more attentions to the effects of airmovement on human comfort. A number of studies have found that air movement cancompensate for warm temperatures in making people comfortable, and recommended high airmovement levels for summer conditions. This paper is focused on the relationship among thebehaviors, the motivations of behaviors of using air movement, and indoor climates, with anaim to determine the preferred levels of air movement for the occupants of naturallyventilated buildings in hot and humid climates in China. To understand the process of usingair movement would lead to a new progress approach of saving energy in hot humid areas.Based on433questionnaires collected in a background survey in naturally ventilatedbuildings,32college students were chosen to join in the transverse survey. All the subjectshave been recently living in naturally ventilated buildings in hot and humid area for more thanone year. Physical and subjective measurements were performed simultaneity in eachtransverse survey. Totally1092sets of raw data in5months were obtained.Air temperature varied in a range of23.3-35.4oC and an average of29.6oC. Relativehumidity varied in a range of47.9-87.0%and an average69.5%. The proportion of openingwindows and door, using oscillating fans and desk fans increased apparently as effectivetemperature (ET*) rose. A good functional relation between behaviors and ET*had beenfound.As summer coming, the main motivation of opening windows and door changed from―fresh air‖to―cool room and body‖, and when summer was leaving, the main motivationchange back to―fresh air‖. A quadratic equation relation between motivations of behaviorsand ET*had been found.The air movement intensity, draft, preference for natural ventilation, oscillating fans, anddesk fans was different. A linear relationship was found between ambient air velocity and ET*.The tolerable effective temperature was30.9oC. The tolerable air temperature was29.3oC,and the limit of air velocity was0.48m/s.